1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communications systems and, more specifically, to a method and system for managing message transactions between a sender and receiver having a virtual mailbox.
The system is comprised of at least one host computer and one or more software programs providing the functions of security, receiving transactions, notifying sender and/or receiver of outstanding messages, maintaining hierarchal structure, providing full text search and sender/receiver maintenance functions. The messages can be text, live chat or voice mail.
The sender posts a message to the receiver within the virtual mailbox. The receiver is notified of a message by the system through delivery of a URL (universal resource locator) pointing to the message. The user has the option of replying with a free form format or choosing one of a plurality of pre-defined category responses. When the receiver replys to the message, the response is automatically linked to the sender""s message and stored in an initial hierarchical structure.
In addition the present invention takes into account that a normal topic of conversation can span months while other conversations are running concurrently. While chat rooms permit a participant to reply to any message with the message linked by being a reply to any other message. This is not always the case in normal conversation. As an example, when ordering from e-commerce, after the initial flurry of messages to figure out how the system works, the process is usually boiled down to ordering, payment, shipping, tracking and hopefully the occasional RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization). These processes are heavily intermingled. One order is being sent before another has shipped and your credit card has been double billed for yet another. The normal sequential ordering of e-mail by date results in a lot of time trying to make sense of which e-mail belongs to what order. Although users are provided with the function of cataloging e-mails into various folders, this is certainly impractical over the long period considering 50 to 100 purchases.
Also, cataloged messages are stored parallel to each other in folders, which does not preserve or establish hierarchical relationship among messages.
The solution, as proposed by the present invention, is to provide the user with a drag and drop function that provides means for reorganizing messages into new threads, attaching one set of messages into an existing thread, and rebuilding the relationship based on user defined logic.
An RMA for an order last month could be dragged and dropped on the relevant order. The system will reorganize the message hierarchy creating a new message thread for a particular order for later review. Thereby, creating a so-called paper trail by order.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other message notification systems designed for maintaining a real time hierarchal structure. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,953 issued to Webster et al. on Feb. 23, 1999.
Another patent was issued to Bateman et al. on Mar. 16, 1999 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,032. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,471 was issued to Milewski et al. on Jul. 27, 1999 and another was issued to Hall on Jul. 27, 1999 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,479.
A method and apparatus summarizes information in an easy and user-friendly format in a database that stores topics and responses to those topics. To that end, the database may be accessed by a GUI having an outline view that lists each of the responses under a topic in outline form, and an adjacent response chain view having indicia for accessing the content of each response in a response chain to a selected response. A response may either be a response to a topic (topic response) or a response to a previously posted response (reply response). The response chain therefore includes a selected response and any other responses that are directly linked, by responses, between the selected response and the topic.
This invention (The Customer Contact Channel Changer) enables the integration of different Customer Contact Channels such as live call center ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) agents, ADSI (Analog Display Services Interface) enhanced IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems and WWW (World Wide Web) servers.
The world wide web servers are used to allow customers with computer equipment to access information from an organizations databases in a self service mode. Frequently these customers have questions best answered by human ACD agents. With this invention the connection between the customer with the question and the agent with the answer is done quickly and efficiently with both parties sharing screens of common information. Also control is retained by the customer to make the call happen when they want it.
A communications system facilitates transactions between a sender and a plurality of recipients as part of an electronic messaging system. Messaging means enable a sender to form an electronic template containing a message in the form of a structured response object for a recipient as part of a transaction between a sender and a recipient(s). Controller means receive and store the message in a virtual mailbox assigned to the transaction for access by the sender and the recipient(s). The controller means generate and send to the recipients an indicator or pointer identifying the message at an address for the virtual mailbox. The recipient(s) use the pointer address to view the electronic message in the form of a structured object response at the virtual mailbox in the controller. The recipient may ignore or file the message or send a response to the virtual mailbox. The response or lack of response to the structure object response by the recipient (s) is tracked and recorded by the controller. The status of the transaction is updated as reflected by the structured object response (s) summarized for display by the controller upon inquiry by the sender. A reminder of a response due to a transaction is sent by the controller to the recipient(s) when selected from the summary display by the sender. When the transaction between the sender and recipient(s) ends, for one reason or another, the electronic message is erased from the virtual mailbox.
A system and method is provided for sending and receiving authorized messages from a sender to a recipient in a network. The method and system makes use of a channelized address to send the message from the sender to the recipient. The channelized address comprises a common address portion that indicates the identity of the recipient in the network and a channel identifier portion for verifying that the message is authorized for delivery to the recipient.
While these communication systems may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a secure virtual mailbox between two users.
Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for each party to maintain duplicate information. One message will be owned by two parties and will not be deleted until both parties consent to said action but will be viewable only to those that have not deleted the message.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a structured format for the exchange of messages having predefined response status available whereby one party can see that the other party has viewed the message.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a notification system which can be viewed by either party. When a message has been sent the status of the message is open. When the recipient clicks on the message URL the status will change to viewed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a storage and message exchange mechanism that maintains a hierarchical structure of messages between a sender and receiver.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a virtual mailbox having full text search and predefined viewing options, such as recipient""s view of one sender""s communication history.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a virtual message center wherein the order or relationship of the messages can be redefined or re-built by the sender for the sender""s purposes or redefined by the receiver for the receiver""s purposes without affect the display order for the other party.
Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a virtual mailbox which will eliminate redundant information. It will also provide means whereby the send/receiver can perform full text search and will provide means whereby sender and receiver may order the messages in whatever logical progression is suitable without impacting the other parties order.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.
The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.
10 system for managing message transactions between a sender and recipient within a virtual mailbox
12 virtual mailbox
14 communication
16 sender
18 recipient
20 thread
22 message title
24 message
26 message date
27 message status
28 detailed sender recipient message hierarchial disply
30 sender recipient thread display
32 sender recipient message title display
34 sender recipient category display